Zubr activists Syarhei Rykau and Raman Kazakevich were detained today in Minsk at the market “Dinamo”. They were handing out to businessmen an informational bulletin “Kommersant” with the appeal to take part in the strike of businessmen on June 17. Now Rykau and Kazakevich are in the city police department # 1 of Lenin district. It is unknown yet what they are accused of.

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(Itar-Tass) - Situation in Belarus is no worse than in any other European country, President Alexander Lukashenko said Wednesday after a meeting the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy.

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According to “Tehran Times”, Iran`s Ambassador to Belarus Mohammad Musa Hashemi Golpayegani conferred with Belarus Deputy Foreign Minister Vasily Bugachev on expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries. At the meeting, the two sides reviewed various bilateral developments such as setting up the sixth Iran-Belarussian joint economic commission meeting which is slated for July 6-7 in Tehran. The two sides also described the current bilateral relations as `satisfactory` and reviewed diverse prospects in economy and commercial cooperation between the two countries.

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Members of the Republic parliamentary group Valeryy Fralow, Uladzimir Parfyanovich and Syarhey Skrabets released a statement today calling on the KGB, the Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor-General`s Office, the Security Council, the National Assembly and regional executive committees to abide by the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. "The lawless situation in Belarus will change in very soon. We would like you to keep your decency in the eyes of your children, relatives and acquaintances," the parliamentarians said. They went on hunger-strike on 3 June to force through changes to electoral legislation and ensure the release of renowned public figure Mikhail Marynich. They also object to the [mooted] extension of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka`s terms in office.

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The Embassy of the United States of America in Belarus takes note of the action of several Belarusian political activists to declare a hunger strike demanding Belarusian authorities release former Minister and Ambassador Mikhail Marinich and make changes in Belarus’ election laws to ensure Belarus can meet OSCE standards for a free and fair election. On June 8, Ambassador George Krol met with the hunger strikers to listen to their views. During that meeting Parliamentary deputies Valeriy Frolov, Vladimir Parfenovich and Sergei Skrebets gave Ambassador Krol a letter signed by them addressed to the Congress and President of the United States outlining their appeal. Ambassador Krol noted that the Embassy of the United States in Belarus has gone on record encouraging Belarusian authorities to respect Mr. Marinich’s human and civil rights and to take steps to ensure elections in Belarus will be conducted in accordance with OSCE norms.

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The editor-in-chief of the private newspaper Rabochaya Salidarnasts [Workers` Solidarity], Mikalay Halko, has sent a letter to Information Minister Uladzimir Rusakevich asking him to reverse the decision on the paper`s suspension.

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The civil initiative “We remember” supports the demands of the group “Respublika”. “We fully support the demands of the deputy group “Respublika”. Our only hope is fair, open, democratic elections, because only after the change of regime we would be able to find out the truth about the fate of our husbands,” - wrote leaders of the civil initiative “We remember” Svyatlana Zavadskaya and Iryna Krasouskaya in their statement. Their husbands ORT cameraman Dzmitry Zavadski and public figure Anatol Krasouski went missing in 1999-2000.

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The International League for Human Rights, an international non-governmental organization with special consultative status at UN ECOSOC, has expressed its profound concern about the latest blow to Belarusian independent media and civil society, after Information Minister Vladimir Rusakevich suspended publication of Rabochaya Solidarnost, a popular Minsk-based independent newspaper. At the same time, the League is deeply concerned about the trial of Axana Novikava, charged with libeling the president, as well as the ongoing hunger strike by three parliamentarians and a number of political opposition activists.

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Three deputies of Belarus`s 110-seat Chamber of Representatives, Uladzimir Parfyanovich, Syarhey Skrabets, and Valery Fralou, went on a hunger strike in the parliamentary building in Minsk on 3 June to protest the blockade by the parliamentary leadership of their initiative to put on the agenda a draft bill providing for changes to the Election Code. Their move followed the parliamentary session earlier the same day where parliamentary speaker Vadzim Papou switched off the microphone in the session hall when Fralou was trying to persuade other deputies to put the issue on the agenda.

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Minsk. (Interfax) - Gazprom will supply gas to Belarus at $46.68 per 1,000 cubic meters and Belarus will charge $0.75 for the transit of 1,000 cubic meters of gas per 100 kilometers, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov told a news conference in Minsk on Tuesday.

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